EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). For one more time in the last few years, our eyes turn to the martyred Antiochian Church in Syria, where the jihadists have attacked Christians in and around Aleppo. The heroic Metropolitan Ephraim, whose predecessor was murdered by the jihadists, is standing tall – an example of what a hierarch should be… Meanwhile, Pat. Bartholomew stays silent… Yes, we know… He is under the boots of the Ottomans. But we had many patriarchs under the boots of the Ottomans for over 500 years. But NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY, licked these boots as Bartholomew did in 2018 when he blessed the Turkish Army’s invasion of Syria!! (link here)… What is he hiding? What do the Ottomans know about him and can blackmail him so blatantly?
Two days ago, AB Anastasios of Albania asked for a ceasefire in Aleppo, and today, AB Ieronymos of Greece asked the Foreign Ministry of Greece to take measures to protect the Christians of Syria… After all, Metropolitan Ephraim studied theology at the University of Athens… But Bartholomew stays silent when he is needed the most. Such is the minuscule stature of the man who pretends to be the “Ecumenical” Patriarch of Orthodoxy…
I will close this with one reminder… In these southeastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire (Cappadokia and what is now northern Syria) some of the most glorious pages of Byzantine and Greek history were written… It was in such areas ten to twelve centuries ago when the “Akrites” (Frontier Guards with ferocious fighting skills) gave epic struggles mostly against Muslim invaders and were glorified forever with folk songs that survive today in Greece… When I read recently that Christian fighters gave heroic resistance to the jihadists, I could not help but think that these must be the descendants of the “Akrites”… A commentator in Greece explained it very graphically: “If you go to this part of Syria and close your ears, just looking to faces and gestures and overall movements, you would think you are in Crete or Peloponnese…”
BELOW IS THE NEWS
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Antiochian hierarch: We continue our ministry in Aleppo despite threats
On December 1, 2024, reports emerged that terrorists attacking Aleppo are planning to find and behead Metropolitan Ephraim.
Metropolitan Ephraim (Maalouli) of Aleppo and Iskenderun, a hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Church – the largest Christian community in Syria –delivered a pastoral message to his flock in Aleppo:
“…our beloved children in Aleppo, we remain here, in Aleppo, with our flock in all circumstances – from the most difficult to the most joyful. This is our pastoral ministry, and we will steadfastly continue to fulfill it. In times of need, we will be your support, so do not hesitate to reach out to us directly.
We assure you that prayers in our churches will continue as circumstances and available means allow. In prayer, dear ones, we cast our burdens upon God and trust in Him. Therefore, I urge you: pray without ceasing! Let us patiently follow Christ’s path to the cross, until we rise with Him in His Resurrection! May the intercession of St. Simeon the Stylite, the patron of the Aleppo Diocese, be with you always!”
Metropolitan Ephraim assumed leadership of the Aleppo Metropolis on December 17, 2021, following the kidnapping and martyrdom of his predecessor, Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi), who was murdered by Islamists in 2016.
On December 1, 2024, reports indicated that terrorists attacking Aleppo are planning to locate and behead Metropolitan Ephraim.
I saw the Metropolitan’ statement this morning or yesterday. Very powerful words from a true leader of our Church. I can’t imagine anyone not being moved as an orthodox, by what these people have to endure. I pray that this ends soon. We have an Ecumenist Patriarch, we do not have an Ecumenical Patriarch. He calls the heretics his brothers and but doesn’t condemn the persecutions of those that should be considered his true brothers in Christ.
Axios!